Today is election day: Remember to go vote!

You've been hearing about it for what seems like forever. Political advertisements have been taking over your television. Candidates have even come to down in what has been one of the biggest election crazes to ever sweep Omaha.Now Election Day is finally here.

Although Nebraska offered early voting this year, Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale expects a 72 percent voter turnout today - a total of 833,000 voters out of 1,157,034 registered voters.

For perspective, the 2004 election attracted 68.3 percent of voters, for a total of 792,827 ballots counted. Nebraska's highest turnout ever was in the 1968 election, when 80.8 percent of voters went to the polls.

"A historic presidential race is driving much of the interest in this election," Gale said. "However, we also have a number of highly visible races and issues in the state that will contribute to a high turnout."

Since this election is the first experience many UNO students will have going to the polls, unless they participated in the statewide primary earlier this year, here is what you need to know to make sure your voice is heard:

- Remember polling times. In Nebraska, polls open at 8 a.m. Central Standard Time and run until 8 p.m. Central Standard Time. In Iowa, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. In both states, any voters still in line when polls close must be allowed to vote.

- Find your polling place. Nebraska residents can check their polling place by visiting https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov or by referring to voter registration cards. Iowa residents can check online at http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/VoterReg/PollingPlace. Links are also available on The Gateway's Web site, unogateway.com.

- Be prepared. Review the ballot in advance so you don't delay others while voting. Sample ballots are available on the Nebraska Secretary of State's Web site at http://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/2008/sampleballots.

- Avoid peak times. Polling places tend to be busiest during early morning, lunch time and late afternoon after people get off work. To cut down on your wait time, try to vote during non-peak hours.

- Register to vote. In Nebraska, you must be a registered voter to cast a ballot. The only exception is people who recently moved to Nebraska or moved to another state after that state's registration deadline; those people are eligible to vote a presidential-only ballot by contacting their county election commission. Voter registration can be checked online at https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov. Iowa residents can verify their registration at http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/VoterReg/RegToVote. In Iowa, Election Day registration is also possible - visit http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/VoterInformation/EDR.html for more information.

- Bring identification. Proper identification is required in Nebraska for people who are newly registered by mail and did not provide identification. Proof of residence is needed, such as a driver's license, utility bill, signed lease agreement or another official document. Identification should not be required of any other voters.

- Remove campaign items. In Nebraska, it is illegal to campaign within 200 feet of a polling site. You are required to remove buttons, stickers, hats, T-shirts and other campaign paraphernalia before entering a polling place. You should be asked to remove or cover up any such items if you forget. If you refuse, you will be turned away from the polls. In Iowa, such paraphernalia is permitted as long as you don't loiter at the polling place and solicit votes for a candidate.

- Know your rights. If you are in need of assistance in reading or marking your ballot, you may bring someone to help you vote or request assistance from election officials. If you do not understand English, you may bring an interpreter into the polling place. If you are physically unable to enter the polling place, you may remain in your vehicle and vote curbside. In addition, you have the right to ask procedure questions about how to cast your ballot and to request up to four ballots if you make mistakes in marking the ballot. You have the right to bring written materials with you to assist in voting. You also have the right to cast a provisional ballot if your name does not appear on the list of registered voters.

- Report suspected fraud. If you suspect election fraud or voting rights abuses, contact the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nebraska at (402) 437-5241 or the Justice Department's nationwide ballot access and voting integrity initiative at 1-800-889-9123. Gale also established an election fraud unit that can be contacted at (888) 727-0007 toll free or (402) 471-2555 to report complaints. Iowa voters can call (888) 767-8683 to talk to the Iowa secretary of state's office. UNO students are also encouraged to contact The Gateway at (402) 554-2352 or by e-mail at editor@unogateway.com.

- For more information. For more information about voting in Nebraska, visit the secretary of state's Web site at http://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/2008/index.html. For Iowa, visit http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/index.html.